Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-12-10
THE

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President Cleveland has given the
country a remarkable message. We
say country, because it is simply an ad.
dress to the voters. Congress will learn
nothing new from 1t. The same senti-
ments have been sounded in the ears of
congress many times before. It is SIM
ply a repetition Of Gen. Hancocks
famous enumeration of ga revenue for
tariff only" but in different words, be-
ing more primative in compoMtion.
Mr.. Cleveland is silent on every ques.
ton except the tariff. The entire mes.
sage is devoted to this subject. He
ignores reference to ''civll service re-
FORM" He does not even "point with
pride" Or in any other way to the
great reforms" of Bro. Sparks in the
land department. He is silent on the
great question Of territorial growth and
territorial needs. He neither condemns
nor ccmmends the interstate commits.
sion, and fails to offer a single sueges.
ton on the subject of the fisheries.
The first part of the message is de-
voted to a recommendation that the
surplus be reduced. This recommends
ton il in itself commendable. 1t is the
same recommendation made by at least
three OF Mr.. Cleyeland's predecessors,
and yet congress has failed to profit by
it. The interesting feature Of the mes
sage is the plan of surplus reduction
offered by Mr.. Cleveland. The best
synopsis Of his plan is found in the
comments Of the English papers. The
London Morning Post says:
The message will produce a profound
sensation in Europe as we'll as in Amer
lea and will strengthen the free traders
cause throughout the world.
The London Daily News indorses the
message in the following exulting SEN
tence:
The stone now set rolling will not stop
until the idol of protection Is broken in
pieces.
The London Standard has this ell
couraging-to- British.interests view of it:
1t marks the revolutionary starting
point in the fiscal controversies of the
United States.
1t IS quite evident that free-trade
England is delighted with the message,
and that, if we should follow where Mr..
Cleveland would lead, the American
barriers which have resisted the threat
ened encroachments of British pauper
prices will be demolished. 1t is easier
to tear down than to build up, and, once
removed, these barriers cannot be re-
erected until we have passed through
an era of poorly-paid labor that will
have completely sapped the wage-work'
ers of America Of their vitality and in
dependence. The effect of such a
change as Mr.. Cleveland advises would
be felt in every branch of business and
by every producer, agriculturalist as
WCI1 No Iltd1lutICtUlCl. We lutC OlIIS
to look back to the days of practical
free-trade prior to the war, whom the
price of corr was from 10 to 10 cents
per bushel and wheat was IS to so pei
cent lower than now, to show what the
result would be if we returned to the
commercial and financial policy of that
time.
The tariff is aquestion with two sides
to it. All agree in the necessity for 1t:
modification, whore such modification
will help Americans and American in
dustries, but we are opposed to tina
kind Of a modification that swcep'
away protection for American interest
ard causes the free.trade journals o
Great Britain to rejoice over the pros
poets of q dissolution Of those CONNER
cial restrictions which have made Amer
lea the most envied nation of the world